Food

I fancy myself a bit of a wine expert… if you count frequent usage of the “When Wine” app, only purchasing bottles $10 or less, and having been to Napa Valley once. So of course, I jumped at the chance to attend an exclusive wine pairing dinner at so•ca with Patricio Santos, winemaker at Ricardo Santos Vineyards in Argentina. Finally, a chance to rub elbows with likeminded, vino knowledgeable peers!

Since relocating back to Raleigh, Whiskey Kitchen has been one of my go-to spots. Whether if it's entertaining a friend visiting from out of town, a client meeting, or just a quick drink, I know that the food, drinks, and staff will always be wondering. When I heard that Whiskey Kitchen's quarterly Supper Club was coming up, I jumped at the chance to go.

Topsail Island -- 26 miles of quiet sandy beaches, pirate lore, WWII history, sea turtle rehabilitation, and... James Beard Award Winning, farm to table food? You heard right. After having a vacation home on Topsail Island for over 20 years, I've loved watching this tiny little island transform. While I hadn't visited in nearly 10 years (college and my move to LA are to blame), I have made it a priority to get to know this almost new to me island top to bottom. That's where The Bistro at Topsail comes into play.

With an insane work schedule and workout plan, I heavily rely on shakes to make sure that I get in all of the nutrients I need when I don't have time for a full meal. I've spent years trying to change up my "bro-shake" game which means a lot of trial and error. Honestly, I had pretty much written off shakes until I discovered the glory that is Blender Bombs.

In honor of NC Beer Month, I couldn't think of any better way to celebrate than participate in the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau's Hometown Hops Passport program! Home to five distinguished breweries, Cumberland County is ready to welcome brewery enthusiasts to America’s Hometown with a perfect pour of a memorable craft brew.

I jumped on the juicing train about 5 years ago when my former boss gave me a juicer for my birthday. My loyalty, however, comes in waves. This week while on basic house arrest due to my kidney procedure, I found 4 different juicing documentaries on Netflix and convinced myself I would die by the age of 32 if I didn't start juicing again.

The Carolina Inn, A Destination Hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina is getting into the Halloween spirit this season with two must-try cocktail recipes for only $12 each. The charming hotel’s signature restaurant, Crossroads Chapel Hill, which recently announced its new Executive Chef, Brandon Sharp, is offering a classic Pumpkin Martini with a twist, as well as a very literal and unique Dragon Eye Martini .

During my brief funemployment stint, I discovered the glory that is Wahlburgers, a TV show that follows the Wahlberg family's restaurant adventures. I quickly became obsessed with Mark, Donnie and Paul, as well as the rest of the family. I obsessively tweeted gifs of Mark in his younger days. I obsessively posted Facebook status's saying I needed to attend a Wahlburgers.

You will understand my excitement when I got an email telling me that WAHLBURGERS IS COMING TO RALEIGH!!!!!

When I first started drinking at the ripe age of 21, I knew nothing about alcohol. Beer, liquor and most wines were gross to me. So like any 21 year old college female, I chose to just stick with sweeter alcoholic drinks. Through this, I discovered the beauty of hard ciders. Rekorderlig thought I should step up my cider game so they sent over their Strawberry-Lime flavor for me to sample!

There's more to healthy nutrition than meets the eye – proper nutrition comes down to the right serving size, eating foods naturally rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, the right amount of protein and keeping your sugar and sodium in-take in check. In honor of March's National Nutrition Month, arm yourself with the right knowledge and recipes for life (not just the month).

Executive Chef at Pritikin Longevity Center + Spa, Anthony Stewart created a few recipes that contain zero salt and passed them along to me to share with my readers.

It's warmer out. The sun is still out when you leave work at 6PM. Spring is in the air! Let the patio drinking begin. Check out these awesome spring cocktail recipes sent over by the wonderful Santa Margherita team.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that I loved making a Cinnamon French Toast recipe from Protein Powder Cooking...Beyond the Shake. It's quickly become my go-to breakfast choice as of late so I wanted to share the goodness with all my faithful readers.

When the kind folks over at Smithfield Foods brought their Chefs Table series to Los Angeles and asked me if I wanted to come to a fancy preview dinner they were having showcasing DURoC, Smithfield’s premium pork offering, I jumped at the chance. Growing up in NC, I consumed quite a bit of Smithfield's pork products so I knew the food I would be tasting would be quality. Chef Vic from Pistola-LA showed pork’s versatility while delighting palettes through a number of different tasting stations.

Protein Powder Cooking...Beyond the Shakeby Courtney Nielsen is a new cookbook that will help you ditch boring shakes for quick and hearty protein-packed baked treats that boost metabolism and build muscle.The 200 quick-and-easy recipes provide a clever way to supercharge your diet with whey, soy, and casein while unleashing the amazing benefits of protein powder to increase energy, build muscle and boost weight loss.

I hate Valentine's Day. Even the few times that I have actually had a Valentine (read: twice out of 28), I never really liked or understood the occasion. Hilton Anaheim understands my (and everyone elses) hatred for the holiday,

Valentine's Day is next week and with it brings a ton of AMAZING yet unhealthy treats. I have to physically restrain myself from buying bags and bags of Reese's hearts. Sara Siskind, a Certified Nutritional Health Counselor and founder of Hands on Healthy has come up with 5 Hearty Swaps for you to indulge in this Valentine’s Day.

The Keepsake Kitchen Diary is about celebrating and recording family moments and recipes all in one place! Keepsake Kitchen Diary is retails for $45.99 and is broken down into six sections - starters, soups/salads, main courses, side dishes, desserts and miscellaneous. Each section begins with fanciful drawings by Val McKeehan, cooking tips ranging from a roasting guide to measuring, and room for over 30 important recipes, photos and personal reflections.

When you have champagne taste on a beer budget, it can be hard to find the perfect wine club. Club W is the answer. With bottles as low as $13, this wine club is completely customizable. Club W suggests wines to you based on your Palate Profile and you can choose them or pick something else from their massive selection. A Club W monthly Experience starts at 3 bottles a month for $39 + $6 flat rate shipping. Club W covers shipping on orders of 4 or more bottles!

Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery out of Denver and one of the country's premier authentic American Indian restaurants (featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives!), thought their Green Chile Stew would make the perfect addition to any tailgate/game-viewing party and decided to share the recipe! It's warm, spicy and delicious, not to mention a unique and authentic take on a game staple (or really as a savory all-around winter go-to!)

Diana Stobo is the award-winning author of the healthy lifestyle book Get Naked Fast! Stripping Away the Foods That Weigh You Down — the best title for a health book ever. This hot-selling title is a practical guide that Diana used to heal herself from illness, lose 1oo+ pounds, and change her life forever.

December 30th is National Bacon Day! Chef Liz Thompson, culinary instructor at The Art Institute of California - Inland Empire sent over a few of her favorite bacon recipes for us all to try in celebration of this glorious holiday.

The awesome team over at Van Gogh Vodka, the highly acclaimed and colorful collection of smooth, unflavored and bold flavored vodkas with remarkable tastes and aromas, and Little Black Dress Wines, the California wines known for their fruit-forward aromas, impeccable sense of balance and versatility, collaborated this holiday season on several crowd-pleasing recipes.

Prosciutto and Gruyere Croissants are one of my favorite appetizers to make not only because they are quick and easy, but because they are so freaking tasty. Bread, meat and cheese? Sign me up. I included a link to this recipe in my Thanksgiving post but I admittedly don't follow it. I find it way too complicated. So here is the super easy Melinda version.

Sure, we’ve all seen those psychic hotline infomercials in the middle of the night or the little shacks downtown with neon palm reading signs. However, Alex Saar is neither of those. Renowned evidential medium, public speaker, and spiritual teacher, Alex started setting spirit at the age of 8, while going through the traumatic experience of the death of her Nana, who raised her.

I fancy myself a bit of a wine expert… if you count frequent usage of the “When Wine” app, only purchasing bottles $10 or less, and having been to Napa Valley once. So of course, I jumped at the chance to attend an exclusive wine pairing dinner at so•ca with Patricio Santos, winemaker at Ricardo Santos Vineyards in Argentina. Finally, a chance to rub elbows with likeminded, vino knowledgeable peers!

Want to add a little more intensity to your fitness routine? Look no further than FlowCORPS. Now open in Downtown Raleigh, this workout will test your limits and have you leaving dripping sweat. A mixture of cardio intervals and pilates, this workout takes your mom’s XFormer workout to another level.

Since relocating back to Raleigh, Whiskey Kitchen has been one of my go-to spots. Whether if it's entertaining a friend visiting from out of town, a client meeting, or just a quick drink, I know that the food, drinks, and staff will always be wondering. When I heard that Whiskey Kitchen's quarterly Supper Club was coming up, I jumped at the chance to go.

I am an absolute sucker for beauty products and when you add in the fact that they are ‘clean’, well... let’s just say my accountant wouldn’t be stoked on how much money I spend. When I heard a new clean beauty store was coming to my hood, I ran over there as fast as I could.

I grew up just a few miles down the road from Spring Lake and admittedly, I never spent much time there. I saw Spring Lake the same way I saw my own hometown, a small, tight-knit company with nothing to do. After working closely with my friends over at the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, I learned that I couldn't have been more wrong. Ready to explore the area, myself and a few other bloggers set out on an outdoor adventure in Spring Lake!

Topsail Island -- 26 miles of quiet sandy beaches, pirate lore, WWII history, sea turtle rehabilitation, and... James Beard Award Winning, farm to table food? You heard right. After having a vacation home on Topsail Island for over 20 years, I've loved watching this tiny little island transform. While I hadn't visited in nearly 10 years (college and my move to LA are to blame), I have made it a priority to get to know this almost new to me island top to bottom. That's where The Bistro at Topsail comes into play.

With almost any weight loss or exercise program, there is generally a disclaimer to check with your doctor before beginning — but I honestly don’t know anyone who ever has. On my never-ending journey to be the healthiest person around, I decided to actually check in with my doctor about my current weight loss (and lack thereof) situation.

With an insane work schedule and workout plan, I heavily rely on shakes to make sure that I get in all of the nutrients I need when I don't have time for a full meal. I've spent years trying to change up my "bro-shake" game which means a lot of trial and error. Honestly, I had pretty much written off shakes until I discovered the glory that is Blender Bombs.